SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO I
know, you didn't expect to hear a peep from me, right? Because at this
moment I most likely have my nose in a glass of oloroso (I'm in Jerez!)
and am not back until this weekend. Well, my faithful bookworm writer,
Pete Mulvihill of Green Apple Books wrote this engaging piece on
urban chickens, so I just had to send it along.

It was also important to me to get this out because of the upcoming
charitable dinners being planned to benefit Soul
Food Farm, which could really use as much help as they
can get right now after their devastating fire.
There is a Bi-Rite Market dinner in the works—but Sam Mogannam
is requesting assistance with donations first (wine, meat, produce): you can read
more on how to donate and follow details about the event here.
(I am sure other Soul Food Farm events will be posted there as well.)

And on Monday September 28th, Melissa Perello (Frances)
is doing a special dinner at Sebo (her last before she opens
Frances), with a portion of the proceeds going to the Soul
Food Farm Fire Fund. There will be two seatings for the evening:
6pm and 8:30pm. The evening's four-course menu will be priced at
$55 per person, and a wine pairing will be available for an additional
supplement. These fill up super fast, so email a reservation request
and/or request info at monday_night [at] me [dot] com.

Wish I had more time to write up my wine country highlights from the
Mondavi/Demon Chef event and The French Laundry, but that will have
to wait until next week. In the meantime, here's a pic of the vineyards
on Diamond Mountain when I was walking through the lovely Reverie and Diamond
Creek properties. Harvest is in the air.

Lastly, I can't believe I am missing the airdate of my first appearance
on Eye
on the Bay, but I'll just have to catch a re-run of
it! Ever-charming host Liam ("the Mayhem")
Mayclem and I chowed down at a number of street food locations in San
Francisco together, so you can check out our tour' o street
eats on Friday September 18th at 7pm on CBS5.

Don't
forget: the books mentioned below are available
at 20% off for tablehopper readers for two weeks
following this mention at Green
Apple Books—simply use the code "tablehopper" at
checkout (either at the store or online) for your
discount.

If you're just looking for a book to read, this month's
Bookworm column may not be of much help to you (though
we have thousands, of course, at the store). But if
you're thinking of keeping chickens, read on. (Are
those crickets I hear?)

This spring, my wife and I shamelessly jumped on the
"urban homestead" bandwagon. We were inspired by the
usual factors: Michael
Pollan, these thrifty times, neighbors who
keep bees. We also wanted to show our city kids where
food comes from. So when my wife's office (Sunset magazine) got
chickens, we toyed with the idea of getting
ourselves a few laying hens. We hemmed and hawed, not
wanting any more responsibilities in life, but curious.
Between Farm
City and Sunset magazine's experiences,
we realized just how easy it is to keep chickens. So
in mid-April, we pulled the trigger and bought four
chicks: two barred Plymouth Rocks and two Cuckoo Marans.

Each
chick was five days old and, at $4.50 each at Half
Moon Bay Feed and Fuel, seemed like a good
deal for two–three years of eggs. Of course, we also
bought about $100 worth of stuff: cage, heat lamp,
waterer, and feed. While the chicks grew surprisingly
quickly atop our dryer, we threw together a coop and
run with recycled lumber from Builder's Resources for
about $40, plus another $100 or so at hardware stores
for plastic roofing, chicken wire, etc. At about eight
weeks, the pullets moved outside.

While
we waited for eggs, one chicken gradually showed
his true colors: he was a little more aggressive,
had a bigger comb, and eventually started the day
(his last) with a pure "cock-a-doodle-doo." Once
we realized we had a rooster on our hands, action
had to be taken. So we consulted The
Joy of Keeping Chickens (and YouTube), then
we slaughtered, plucked, cooked and ate "Tillie." S/he
made a nice pozole, albeit an expensive one. And while
I would have preferred another laying hen to a hearty
pozole, that process was ultimately a rewarding byproduct
of our urban homesteading experiment.

And finally, last week, 22 weeks and $333 later, we
got our
first egg. And it was deliciously rich and
rewarding. Even now, a week later, we're giddy when
we open the little door to the laying box and find
a light brown treat.

As for the book, it has everything you need and more—it
even covers raising birds for meat, which is just not
practical or cost-effective in San Francisco. It's
well organized, clearly written, nicely put together,
colorful, and very respectful, even loving.

FAQs: we sold our chick "starter kit" to another family
for $50, so that reduced our costs. Plus, our picky-eater
preschoolers provide many scraps for the chickens,
and our local produce market saves trimmings from aging
greens for the hens—both of these things keep our feed
costs minimal.

You
can leave your hens untended for days on end, so
it's much easier than owning a cat or dog (though
it's best to ask a neighbor to collect your eggs
every day or so—since that task has its own reward,
it should be pretty easy). In San Francisco, you
can have up to four animals (e.g. if you have a dog,
you can only have three chickens). No roosters. I
have no idea about other cities.

Inspired? Feel free to email
me or ask for me when you're in the store.
Or see my wife's blog: with this
link, you'll see the chicken entries only
(in reverse chronological order, so start at the
bottom).

This special issue of Gastronomica is
many things. It is a glimpse into Julia's world—her childhood,
her college years, her romance with her husband, Paul—for
those who don't know as much about her as they might
like. For those who respected her both as chef and colleague,
it is a tribute. And it is a farewell and final bon appétit
for those who knew her best.